Fish-plate.



'such pressure is to cause GEORGE WENDLING, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

FISH-PLATE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 8, 1908.

Application filed July 1, 1907. Serial No. 381,725.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE WENDLING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fish-Plates; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in rail joints.

The obj ect of the invention is to rovide a rail joint or chair whichnormally 1s in such condition as to allow the rails to contract orexpand freely without any interference from the joint devices, and whichbind the rails at the joint at such time when weight is placed upon therail at the joint, such as the passing train or engine. In arriving atthese results,

-the fish Cplate on each side of the rail joint is provide with engagingmembers which normally do not bind each other, but when weight is placedupon the rail the eflect of the interlocking portions of the fish platesto firmly engage each other, the weight upon the rail 1naintaining suchengagement and causing the fish plates to securely bind the rail flangeand the sides of the upright portion of the rail,

Preceding a more detail description of the invention, reference is madetothe accompanying drawings, of which-Figure 1 designates a transversesection of a rail showing the ends of the fish lates in the position ofsecurely clamping tie rail as when weight is placed upon the rail. Fig.2, is a similar view showing the arts more or less in a loosened ornon-bin ing condition, as when there is no weight upon the rail. Fig. 3,is a side elevation of the joint.

In a detail description of the invention, similar reference charactersindicate correspending parts.

The fish plates 1 1 are made in two separate parts each of which has acertain amount of resiliency and both of which are secured to the tiesby the usual spikes 10. The said fish plates have slots or openings 9extending inwardly and of suitable size to receive the base flange 8 ofthe rail 2, said slots being of a size to snugly inclose the base flangeof the rail when weight is placed upon the rail and to snugly embracethe upright flange of said rail. The lower portions of the fish platesextend inwardly below the base flange 8 of vthe rail and terminate attheir inner edges in male and female interlocking tongues and recesses3-4-5 and 6. The depth of one of these base portions of the fish platesis less than the depth of the other so that there is a space` 7 providedbetween the cross ties and said base portion whichy forms an importantfeature of the device, for example, the pressure upon the rail due to atrain passing thereover, 1s exerted equally upon these base portions ofthe fish plates, and the weight or pressure exerted upon that fish platewhich has its base of less depth than the other, will all be directedupon the interlocking tongues 4 and 5 to cause them to firmly engage atall points of their surfaces the recesses 3 and 6 and to thus bind thefish plates firmly around the base flange of the rail and against theopposite sides of the upright flange of the rail.

As is seen in Fig. 2, there is no weight upon the rail 2 and as aconsequence, the fish plates l l are more or less flexible or loose intheir connection, and the interlocking tongues and recesses in the basesof the sh plates are separated to a sullicient extent, owing to theabsence of weight upon the rail, to allow the fish plates to loosentheir contact with the rail and to thus permit the rail to haveindependent movement under the effects of different temperatures.

It will be seen that the parts are entirely closed up in Fig. 1; this isthe condition when weight is placed upon the rail. Fig. 2 is designed toclearly illustrate that, when weight is removed from the rail 'there isno clamping or binding effect between the interlocking tongues of thefish plates or between the fish plates and the sides of the rail. Thisview of the drawings is intended to illustrate this condition oflooseness or flexibility by showing space between the sides of the railand the fish plates and between portions of the interlocking tongues ofthe fish plates. The space 7 below the base of one of the fish plates isalways there though such space is less when the fish plates are clampedby weights being on the rail. It will be readily seen that if one of thefish plates were not provided with a base of less depth than the other,the bases of both plates would rest in contact with the ties and theweight of the train in passing over the rails could not be utilized forthe purposes of binding the fish plates in contact with the rail tosecure the joint at a time when security is most needed, for example,when a train is passing over the joint. rlfhis feature of my invention Idesire to claim broadly.

Having described my invention, I claim:

The combination with two sections of rails, of two fish plates havingrecesses to receive the base flanges of the rails, and the portions ofsaid fish plates above the base flanges of said rails being ada ted toclamp the sides of the rails above said the base portions of said fishplates below the rail flanges having interlocking portions with taperingmatching surfaces adapted to engage each other substantially throughouttheir tapering surfaces when weight is placed base fianges,

upon the rails to clamp the interlocking porA tions of said fish platesand the sides of the rails, the base vportion of one of said fish platesbeing adapted to engage the surfaces of the ties throughout the width ofsaid base portion, and the base portion of the other of said fish platesbeing of less depth adjacent to the interlocking portions of said fishplates so that said base portion of less depth will be supported by theinterlocking portions of the .fish plates free from engagement with theties adjacent to the interlocking portions, substantially as s eciiied.

In testimony whereof aflix my signature, in presenceof two witnesses.

GEORGE WENDLING. Witnesses:

R. J. MOOARTY, C. M. THEOBALD.

